CHAPTER FOUR
Sixteen weeks later
Spencer and Leah started spending more time trying to get to know each other and to get closer. He accompanied her to doctor visits, they frequented each other's homes and eventually, they felt comfortable with each other.
Carly. Spencer still didn't know how to break it to her or how she would react. Every night before he went to sleep, he always wondered how the baby would change the way he and Carly lived. Could he be able to take care of both? And Leah…should he marry her? He really didn't want to lose her.
While driving Carly to school one morning, Spencer had his mind preoccupied with thoughts. Today was the day Washington Socialite came to interview him and photograph his sculptures. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and could open doors for his career. He also had to be with Leah for an appointment.
"Spencer!" Carly yelled out.
"What?" he braked hard for he was about to run a stop sign.
"You were almost going to run that stop sign…what's with you this morning? You've been completely silent. You nervous?"
"Yeah…I'm nervous. Uh, I gotta ask you something…"
"Shoot."
"What do you think about Leah?"
"She's great! She's pretty, she dresses cute, she eats more than Sam does, and…wow, she's the longest girlfriend you've ever had. I like her if you like her, Spence."
"That means a lot to me."
There was a silence as Spencer built up the nerve to tell her. His hand gripped tight on the steering wheel as he took a deep breath "Well, um, Leah is-"
Carly's phone started to ring "Hold that thought." She answered her phone "Hey Sam! No way…NO WAY! Okay, I'll see you there." She hung up the phone and then turned to Spencer "Step on it, Spence! Sam just called to tell me that Jake Crandal just sent flowers to my locker!!"
"Oh wow! Ooh, Carly's got a boyfriend!"
Carly blushed "Shut up…So, what about Leah?"
Spencer decided that he would tell her next time. He wanted Carly to enjoy her happiness "Nothing. Just wanted to tell you that Leah likes you, too."
"That's great cause I really do like her."
Spencer just smiled and pulled up to the front of the building when he approached Ridgeway. "Have a great day, kiddo. And good luck with Jake" he winked.
"Oh stop it! Hey, have a great interview!" she hugged her brother and got out of the car. Spencer watched as Carly skipped her way into school. He wondered that if they baby turned out to be a girl, maybe she would be like Carly. And it would be easy for him to raise her. He would play tickle monster with her, help her sell cookies as a Sunshine girl, and hey, maybe his daughter could have her own web show, too. Oh, the possibilities.
When Spencer got back home, the Washington Socialite people were already waiting outside of the apartment "Oh hey guys! I'm sorry. I was just taking my little sister to school I didn't know you guys would be here so soon…"
"Yeah we kinda need to get in and get out." A girl with ridiculously short hair said.
Without hesitation, Spencer let the reporter and photographer in. They photographed his sculptures and interviewed him. In half an hour, it was all done. Spencer held the door to let them out.
"You've got some pretty rad stuff going on." The short haired girl said.
Spencer blushed and scuffed his foot on the floor. She was attractive "Thanks."
"You free this weekend?"
Before he could say anything, he got a text from Leah reminding him about the doctor appointment today "Um, I'm actually taken…"
"Oh. Well, too bad for you…" she smiled walking away with the photographer.
Wow. Now that he's taken it seemed like all the girls wanted him. He shrugged off the thought and then went to go pick Leah up.
When he got to her place, she was dressed in a white babydoll dress and some black leggings. She had quite a bit of a bump showing, too. "Hey" she said getting into his car.
"Hey" Spencer kissed her on the cheek and looked her up and down "You look fantastic." He could really see her glowing from the pregnancy.
"I look fat. How was the Washington Socialite thing?"
"Went pretty well. I just hope this opens a lot of doors for me. I haven't been this excited about something since I quit law school."
Leah tilted her head to the side looking at him "You went to law school?"
"Just for three days. It wasn't me, you know?"
She sighed and looked out the window "I think its time to tell my boss. I can't keep hiding this forever. I'm beginning to look like a whale."
"You don't look like a whale. You look gorgeous."
They got to the hospital and waited in the waiting room. A few minutes later, Doctor Stone came and called them. He had Leah change into a hospital gown and had her sit on the bench. Spencer watched as the Dr. Stone brought out his instruments.
"So how long have you two been married?"
Leah and Spencer looked at each other "Um, we're not." Leah answered.
"Ah. So you guys are engaged. I see. Kinda want a head start on things, right?"
They looked at each other once again. Marriage was something they never talked or thought about. Well, Spencer thought about it a couple of times. He wasn't quite sure of what Leah's thoughts about it were.
Dr. Stone squeezed some gel into Leah's belly and turned on the monitor. Dr. Stone performed the sonogram as Spencer watched the screen. He tried his best hold back his tears of joy seeing a little body and a head.
"And that is your baby…" Dr. Stone said.
Leah held Spencer's hand and smiled at him and then looked back at the screen. This was definitely up there in the top five best moments in his life.
"Would you two like to know the sex of the baby?"
"Um…I don't know…" Leah looked at Spencer "I kinda want to keep it a surprise."
"Do you mind if I knew?" Spencer asked.
"Not at all. Just as long as you don't tell me…"
Spencer then turned to Dr. Stone "Give me the sex."
Moments later, they left the doctor's with a picture of the baby in hand. They had lunch and then Spencer brought Leah back home. When he went back to his own place and Carly and Sam were sitting down and watching TV.
"Hey guys" he said coming through the door.
"Hey, where did you go?" Carly asked.
"I went to see Leah." Spencer sat on the couch next to Sam.
"Oh, do you have the mail key? I dropped mine in a sewer. Can I borrow yours?"
"Yeah. Sure, kiddo." Spencer handed Carly the key and off she went to check the mail. Sam looked at Spencer and then looked back at the TV.
"How's the baby?" Sam asked then got a grip. She was mentally punching herself in the stomach for letting it slip.
Spencer turned his head slowly to look at her. His eyes widened seeing her guilty face and blonde curly head watching the TV trying her best not to make eye contact "How do you know?"
"Baby? Did I say baby? I meant…" she tried her best to come up with something dumb "Oh, who am I kidding? Me and Freddie overheard you and Leah talking a few weeks ago."
Spencer sighed and looked down. Sam looked at him like he had failed to keep a secret "I mean, its obvious, you know? She eats as much as I do and she looked fatter than the first time I saw her. I'm sorry…I shouldn't have been here in the first place…"
"Its okay, Sam. Just…whatever you do, please don't tell Carly. I will tell her myself. When the time is right."
"You better hurry. Homegirl will keep getting bigger…"
"You wanna see the sonogram picture?" Spencer pulled it out from his shirt pocket and showed it to Sam.
Sam smiled seeing the picture "Whoa, look at that thing! It looks like the war goblins in Galaxy Wars!". Spencer laughed because, yeah, he thought that very same thing, too. But he knew that the more his child grew, the more good looking it would become.
"I'm back!" Carly said in a singsong way as she came through the door with the mail. She saw Spencer and Sam immediately backing off "Did I miss something?"
"Nothing." Spencer quickly put the picture back into his pocket.
"I was just telling him about…the waving bug…"
"The weirdest things always happen when I'm not around…" Carly shrugged and went towards the kitchen.
The next day at school, Freddie and Sam walked the hallways on their way to lunch. "So you let it slip?" Freddie questioned grabbing a tray.
"It was really dumb, I know. But just seeing him there, I just had to ask. And for a second it kinda felt like everyone knew about it. By the way, he knows you know about it, too."
"Great."
A second later, Duke cut in the line to talk to Sam. Freddie watched as she smiled and laughed. Their Home Ec project had been over for a few weeks already. They passed it. But Freddie was still missing it. When he worked with Sam, in private, she became more open, softer, and more human. Maybe it was the doll that brought that out in her? Freddie also thought about the make out sessions they had while working on their project. He missed holding her, smelling her hair, and pretending like it never happened the next day. But all feelings aside, this was Sam Puckett he was talking about. It was just never meant to be.
"Hey Fredwierd, can have five dollars to pay for my lunch?" Sam said bringing him back to reality.
Freddie shook his thoughts out "Uh, yeah…" he pulled out his wallet and paid for her lunch.
Sunday morning, Spencer and Leah went to Oh Baby Baby baby store and took a look at things they might need. Leah picked out a few baby books for him to read, some unisex clothes, a few toys, and other things. Spencer looked at a breast pump and felt really interested and intimidated by it at the same time.
"Hey!" Leah came up from behind him tickling his ribs and smiling "Whatcha' looking at?"
"Um" Spencer held the box "Do you need this?"
"A breast pump? Spence…we're shopping for the baby's needs. Not your needs."
"Well, you know I figured-" Spencer was cut off by Leah gasping at the huge white crib in the nursery display.
"Isn't this cute?" she said eyeing it almost religiously.
"It is." Spencer checked the price tag and steam almost blew out of his ears. It was way expensive.
"Nah, we don't need this. We can borrow Danica's. Her's is prettier."
"No fuss, I can make one!"
"And these are the benefits of having an artist boyfriend…."
Spencer and Leah held hands and turned to look at something else when from the corner of his eye, Spencer spotted Mrs. Benson. He panicked hoping to God that she wouldn't see him. What would he say to her? Leah tried to lead him into Mrs. Benson's direction but he tried to stall "Uh, no, why don't we look at some baby strollers?" it didn't work. Luckily, Leah opted to see something in another direction totally far from Mrs. Benson.
Spencer followed as Leah looked at baby bottles. He looked at bibs, eating utensils, and as he turned around, Mrs. Benson was staring back at him.
"Spencer! What are you doing here?"
"Hi Mrs. Benson!" Spencer smiled hard and tried not to look like he was up to something. The face hurting smile did not help at all.
Leah turned to see Mrs. Benson. "And who is your friend?" Mrs. Benson asked "Hi, I'm Claire Benson, Spencer's neighbor."
"Well, Mrs. Benson, this is my friend Leah."
"Hi. Nice to meet you." Leah smiled and shook her hand and then looked back at Spencer totally confused.
"So what are you doing here? Shopping for someone?" Mrs. Benson suspiciously looked at Leah's belly.
"Um, well, we uh…" Spencer looked at his watch "Will you look at the time? I have to get going somewhere. So, I'll see you at the house okay?" he dragged Leah away from Mrs. Benson's sight.
Mrs. Benson stood there confused "Oh, okay! Bye!" she then looked at Leah while she walked with Spencer and thought for awhile.
"What was that all about?" Leah said in the car while they left.
"That is Freddie's Mom. I don't want her to know about our situation because then she'll start asking questions, then she'll chase me down the street with a broom, then she'll want to talk to you and let me just say that it does not sound like a good time, okay?"
"I hope I never become like that once this baby is born…you'll tell me if I'm being bossy and irritating, right?"
"Will do."
One afternoon while Spencer was busy working on a sculpture, Carly came downstairs "Hey Spence, can I use your rubber chicken for the show?"
"Yeah, it's in my room. Just look around."
Carly went to Spencer's room and looked around. She checked the drawers and in the boxes in the closet. Nothing. She then went to look under the bed. Bingo. She found the chicken and something else. Carly found What to Expect When You're Expecting and The Expectant Father books. She raised her eyebrow at the books and wondered why Spencer would have these lying around in his room. She put the books back under the bed and then went out of the room.
"Did you find it, kiddo?" Spencer asked.
"Got it!" Carly made her way back upstairs and then paused and looked back at Spencer "Hey, why do you have baby books under your bed?"
Spencer dropped whatever he was working on and tried to come up with an excuse. He slowly turned around "Well, because…those…are not mine."
"Then why do you have them under your bed?"
"Those are Socko's books. He um, doesn't want his mother to know that his girlfriend is pregnant."
"But I thought Socko was single."
"Oh, he met some girl at a club…"
"Wow, that sucks. Anyways, gotta go do the show, bye!" Carly went back upstairs. Spencer sighed and then sat on the couch wishing he had the courage to tell her the truth.
(to be continued)
